“If circumstances warrant, we ask our wives or friends to join us in morning meditation. If we belong to a religious denomination which requires a definite morning devotion, we attend to that also. If not members of religious bodies, we sometimes select and memorize a few set prayers which emphasize the principles we have been discussing. There are many helpful books also. Suggestions about these may be obtained from one’s priest, minister, or rabbi. be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day “Thy will be done.” ”

Soul work

Q1 Quiet Time.

Where are you with this today?

Are you doing your morning or night meditation?

Have you invited your wife/husband/friend to join you?

d) Do you have a format that you take into your Quiet Time?e) Have you memorised prayers you can use when you are in a 911 situation?f) Do you have a daily reading book e.g. As Bill Sees It, that you bring into meditation? Or do you have lots of books and read several of them?

Q2a). Write about the last time you paused before you said something.b) What’s the value of going through the day having pauses?

Q5. Write ‘prayer’ at start of paragraph 3 next to the words: “We ask for the right thought or action.” Do you see how this is step 12?

Q6a) Do you like gratitude and see its value or think its overstated in our programme? b) Are you grateful? Are there degrees of gratitude? d) Can you see the value and be grateful if someone is honest with you even if it is not complimentary? Or do you still think: “How dare they?”

(week 280) 11 May 2017 12-step study Big Book all addictions workshopAt the end of Quiet Time ask God:

What’s my plan of action?

God help me to complete it.

Have accountability around it.

Big Book is saying do this all day. To be given the power, the willingness to do it.“We ask especially freedom from self-will.” This is so important. You have done all the hard work, now can ratchet it up, to bring you to the fourth dimension anda life that is awesome. As an addict we are either going forwards or going backwards. Recoveryaffects all areas of our life: job, relationships, health, etc.Don’t ever say to another person: “10 ,11 and 12 are maintenance steps.” If you are maintaining you are going back. These are growth steps that require action. Do you want to maintain where you are at or do you want to grow and become the best possible recovered version of yourself? Soul workChapter entitled: Into ActionPage 87:1“We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be , that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us he wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn’t work. You can easily see why.”Q1. FEAR acronym: Face Everything And RecoverWhere are you with that today and generally? When you are angry look below it. You are afraid of something.Fear will paralyze us even in recovery. That’s why we need step 11.Q2. What do you fear right now? Bring these fears to Quiet Time. Q3a) Look up: complacency. (Stephanie is trying to help us out of complacency).b) List the areas where you are complacent.c) Do any of these match your fears and if so how?This is going to require wisdom so take it to God. [e.g. God I am complacent in my financial area. What I am afraid of? Well I am 67 years old and its only three years before I retire and am not making it financially. I am not going to get a new job because I’m afraid.]Q4a) What do you love to do?b) Are you afraid of doing what you love?Q5. Where are you going in the present and the future? It is going to be humdrum or exciting?Q6. “Your will God not mine be done”. a) What does this mean to you?

How do you sum up page 87:1?

Every program person is going to interpret this differently. Own this paragraph. Own the acronym FEAR. Own the word complacency so instead of a complacent recovery you have a dynamic one that you are excited about. A dynamic recovery means a dynamic life. You cannot separate the two.ENDS

Look up: Non-negotiableIntuitiveStep 11 Nightly/morning/daily review. Catch wrong thinking before it spirals into something you don’t want it to.AA Page 86 (Map for living a joyous and free sobriety. Honest self-appraisal.) “On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.”You’re going to face indecision especially if you’re thinking is not divorced from self-pity, dishonest self-seeking motives. Should I do the God honoring behavior or live as “it’s easy and slide through”. Let’s say you make a decision for non-God-honoring behavior. Do you beat yourself up? Go out and get drunk, eat etc.? No, you can start your day anytime. Do a 10th step, ask God for help, make a new action plan, become very decisive that “I am going to turn this around and be God honoring”. That’s what you do. You’re going to face indecision all day long however if you have “non-negotiable actions” you cut down the indecisions by a huge percentage.Question 1: What are your “Non-negotiable actions”? ex: Stephanie’s are: Quiet time, planning and preparing my food for the day (writing it down, preparing it), exercise, getting enough sleep, church, and to do group/family commitments.This is how the rubber meets the road -- How you spend your time? There is a expression in either debtor or clutters anonymous—Time Drunk-- where you waste time and you don’t even know it. Question 2: What is your definition of “Time Drunk”. It’s important that you don’t live in indecision or you waste time and you only get so much. AA Page 86: “We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision”Indecision is dangerous because it can cause you to get back into your addiction. That’s why you have non-negotiable actions. Pray, plan, prepare, protect your well-being by not being in indecision. Know what you need to do, what course to take to take care of yourself. It’s important not to steam roller over others though. Just tell them what you need and let them make a decision on what they need or want to do. It’s difficult to not push, pull, prod, or dominate when someone else is in indecision. So continue to pray, plan, prepare, protect to keep sober. How do you determine what to do when you have a decision? A decision where you don’t know the answer? You ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy—meditate. Pray. If you get into stress and anxiety you will not be able to make clear and recovered thinking. Trust God. Once you make a decision, run it by a trusted sponsor or program person. And make sure you run it by because we can think God is telling us something yet it could be absolute insanity. Page 87 We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times.You’re not going to be inspired at all times. When you know you don’t have the answer, you relax, take it easy, and say to the person who may be pressuring you for an answer: “I don’t have an answer yet, I don’t know. If you need an answer right now then it’s no.” If they can wait for me to feel good about my yes to be yes and my no to be no then I will keep on asking God. Stephanie refuses to be pressures. Don’t ask 15 people what to do because you’re going to get 15 opinions. How is someone else’s opinion going to help you? Opinions are not from God. Ask God for help in quiet time, make an action plan, and then accountability. Inch by inch you can do it. Question 3: What are the 11th Step promises?

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